The present invention relates generally to laser cutting apparatus, and more particularly to improvements in manual feed laser cutting apparatus.
Recently, devices which generate laser radiation have been adapted for an increasing number of applications, such as range measuring devices, welding devices, etc. Among the many industrial applications for lasers, the utilization of focused laser radiation is particularly well suited for drilling, scoring or cutting metals as well as such non-metals as cloth, wood, plastics, etc. These laser cutting devices offer high quality and high speed cutting capabilities. However, completely hand fed laser cutting devices do not provide the high quality cuts or scorings that lasers are capable of producing.
Thus, heretofore, in order to optimize the quality of the cut in the workpiece, typical laser drilling/cutting apparatus include moving worktables positioned under the laser. Some, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,402 issued to Mefferd et al., also include numerical programming equipment for guiding the worktable (and the workpiece mounted thereon) to perform the cutting operation in a totally automatic manner. Although such devices are satisfactory for many applications, these apparatus are necessarily expensive and generally occupy substantial floor space. In addition, it is difficult, if not impossible, to utilize these devices for cutting pre-formed or curved workpieces, such as aircraft structural skin and the like.
Also heretofore, it has been known that, in order to prevent smoke, debris and other products of combustion from scattering or rising to deposit on the lens system, a stream of gas may be directed at the region where the laser strikes the workpiece whereby such particles cannot interfere with transmission of the laser or reduce its efficiency. However, in order to remove these particles fully from the area of the workpiece, the presence of the worktable may cause the particles to be scattered radially outwardly, generally in the plane of the worktable, risking injury to the operator. To avoid this, additional exhaust equipment has been positioned adjacent the region of laser incidence, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,183 issued to Castro et al., making the device more expensive as well as awkward to operate. In addition, such exhaust devices are not capable of completely reducing the scattering of debris.
In general, although the hereinbefore described prior art devices have provided good results for many applications, they are relatively complex, requiring substantial financial investment and occupying substantial floor space, and often necessitate skilled craftsmen for operation. Such factors prohibit machinists with limited capital or factory space as well as those working on small or pre-formed or curved workpieces from enjoying the advantages of laser cutting. In addition, the less sophisticated laser devices which are completely manually operated, and therefore dependent upon the operators skill for successful operation, do not provide the reliable and quality results of the more sophisticated devices.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus which is relatively inexpensive and easy to operate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus capable of generally automatic workpiece feeding yet allowing manual override to accommodate irregularities or non-uniformities in the workpiece.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus which requires little ancillary equipment and occupies relatively little floor space.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus capable of substantially complete removal of smoke and debris with substantially no scattering thereof or operator injury therefrom.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus capable of operating on curved or pre-formed workpieces as well as reliable repeatability of the resultant product.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus offering minimal clearance to prevent inadvertent operator injury.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide new and improved laser cutting apparatus permitting the use of low cost shop-made templates and toolings.
Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part herein and in part will be appreciated herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims. Accordingly, the invention resides in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.